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  • Waranara School
  • What makes Waranara School different?
  • What makes Waranara School different?
  • What to expect at Waranara
  • Waranara School annual reports

Waranara School

Waranara school offers a specialist environment for secondary students in Yr 9-12 who are having difficulty staying engaged with school. We recognise that young people experience significant life challenges that impact on their education.

Since educational outcomes are intrinsically linked to wellbeing, Waranara offers support to students across different aspects of their life. This includes personalised teaching and learning support, specialised wellbeing support, and access to specialist adolescent and family counsellors on-site.

 

teenage girl with short hair
Teenage boy smiling shallow background

At Waranara School we believe all young people have a right to access educational opportunities that positively respond to their individual life circumstances and personal attributes. Our school welcomes students from all backgrounds, including those who may have previously encountered obstacles achieving their education goals.

We seek to provide intensive academic and personal support that helps students to achieve their best learning and life outcomes.

What makes Waranara School different?

● A personalised education environment that is supportive, flexible and respectful
● We are responsive to the diverse needs of individual students
● Our school staff is committed to providing flexible educational activities and strategies for young people with a broad range of learning styles, capacities and strengths
● We offer young people practical support and clear pathways to identify and address other personal, family or structural issues that may have a negative impact on their educational engagement.

teenager with short hair in a school yard

Growing for our future

To position Waranara School for growth, Good Shepherd will transition the management of the School to MacKillop Family Services in mid-2024.

MacKillop Family Services currently operates three schools in Victoria under MacKillop Education, and will bring this expertise in supporting the work of Waranara School in New South Wales.

MacKillop will work collaboratively to ensure the school continues to provide quality and specialist education to students who have disengaged from mainstream schooling. Good Shepherd will continue to provide wraparound support services for students and families.

The transition of management will occur mid-year 2024. As part of this change, and to ensure that students have the best possible environment to meet their educational needs, the location of the school will change and we will be moving to 11 Mathieson Street Annandale, NSW 2038. This change of location will not take place until mid-year 2024 when construction work is complete.

The school’s new premises are designed specifically for learning and are currently being retrofitted to meet the needs of Waranara students, teachers, and school community. Please check back for further updates in the lead up to the change.

“Good Shepherd and MacKillop are like-minded organisations with hundreds of years of experience in providing community service,” Ms. Avramopoulos said.

“With the success and the subsequent growing demand on Waranara school the transition to MacKillop Family Services management will give more students and families future opportunities to access this unique environment. This allows Good Shepherd staff in New South Wales to focus on growing the support and services we specialise in.”

The arrangement will not affect staffing, with principal Rachael Peet and her team continuing in their current roles. All current student enrolments will be retained and MacKillop Education Waranara will remain an option to all students in the area who find a mainstream school environment challenging.

Ms. Peet said she is committed to continuing the high-quality support her team have provided to children and families in the region.

“While our name may change, our focus on supporting children and families will not. Our teachers and curriculum will remain, and our commitment to supporting children who struggle to learn in mainstream schools and their families is stronger than ever. We know education creates opportunities, and we’re excited about working with MacKillop to offer these opportunities to more children and their families at the Waranara School.”

teenagers in a school yard
teenage woman with short hair wearing denim jacket outside

Waranara still provides traditional educational activities, like:

● Qualified teachers and learning support staff
● Access to accredited education credentials, including the Record Of School Achievement, High School Certificate (HSC) and access to vocational studies for Yr.11 & 12 students
● Recreational and social activities
● Student leadership/Peer mentoring program
● On completion of school, support from the Transition Support Coordinator to work towards your preferred education and employment pathways.

What to Expect at Waranara School

Waranara also has a number of characteristics that vary from other education environments. These include:

Small Student Population
Student numbers are capped at a maximum of 60 enrolments. This means that all young people can be provided with the maximum levels of personalised support, in a school learning environment that is primarily structured for small-group activities.

High Staff-Student Ratio
To cater to the diverse needs of students, we operate with a high ratio of staff and volunteers within the classroom setting. This ensures that young people will always have access to personalised and intensive support, equipping them to more easily overcome learning difficulties and barriers, and achieve their education goals.

Flexible alternative education environment
We provide students with additional flexibility in a number of areas, including:
• uniform-free environment
• shorter school day for year 9 & 10
• Compressed model of study for year 11 & 12
• personalised learning plans/study support strategies
• voluntary homework policy.

Additional Pastoral Care and Social Support
Students are able to access on-going health and well-being support through Good Shepherd’s on-site counselling and wellbeing support workers. These staff members can work with our students upon request, to address a broad range of issues that may be impacting their educational engagement or personal well-being.

Family Support
Staff members seek to work collaboratively with parents/carers, wherever possible, to ensure young people are able to achieve the best personal and educational outcomes possible. This may involve regular consultation meetings and conversations between school staff and parents/carers throughout the school year, as well as the provision of additional relevant individual support and advice to family members upon request.

teenage student with glasses holding a backpack

All students and their families have access these programs and services if required, including Counselling services:
● Adolescent and Family Counselling
● Drug and Alcohol Counselling
● Sexual Assault Counselling
● Parenting Workshops
● Financial counselling for those in financial difficulties
● School-based mental health education and support workshops

The application process includes:

1

Completion of Referral Form, collecting information about the students educational record and personal history

2

Intake interview with student and parents/carers

3

Stakeholder Consultation (with former school)

4

3 week trial period at Waranara School and follow up meeting

5

Internal review with Waranara School teachers and counselors

Apply

Young people who wish to enrol at Waranara School can self-refer or be referred by another school, community agency, family member or carer.

To apply, complete and submit a Referral Form.

For help with the Referral form, contact:
Tel: 02 8025 3400, Email: reception.waranara@goodshep.org.au

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About Us

Learn more about Good Shepherd here

Contact Us

Good Shepherd Marrickville NSW
ph: 02 8571 7800

Waranara School
ph: 02 8025 3400
Email: reception.waranara
@goodshep.org.au

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